The Fall of the Ealdremen Galaxy
"Even gods can be killed." Chrono Stars: The Fall of the Ealdremen Galaxy is a series of campaigns that span the years 4339-4341. It takes its players through the Ealdremen Galaxy several centuries after the catastrophic Godbomb, venturing across different locales and witnessing and perhaps participating in events that could lead to the titular Fall of the Ealdremen Galaxy if nothing is changed. The main theme for Chrono Stars: The Fall of the Ealdremen Galaxy is The Howling. Premise Over two hundred years ago, the inhabitants of the Ealdremen Galaxy attempted to surpass and kill the gods. In retaliation, the gods responded with an apocalyptic wave of destruction that the descendants of the would-be godslayers now call the Godbomb. Tasked with rebuilding a society that had just lost thousands of years of progress, those who remained began to fight and contend with one another. Now, in the year 4339, the galaxy teeters on the brink of war. Two major factions — the Alamo Empire and the Veriol Alliance — stand in a stalemate, held back only by a third group, the Gerualdi Union. Neither side is willing to risk drawing the Gerualdi Union’s ire and causing them to ally with the enemy, but there are rumors that powerful weapons dating from before the Godbomb have been found — weapons mighty enough to slay the gods themselves. But if even gods can be killed by these weapons, what does that mean for the rest of the galaxy? Could it be that the sins of the Kylians’ predecessors will soon be repeated? Will the galaxy be saved, or will it fall victim to its own hubris once more? Playstyle Players create a character that will journey across the Ealdremen Galaxy -- perhaps for their own reasons, or perhaps, later on, in order to avert the titular fall. They may choose from one of the Kylian races for their characters' species, and character creation is done using a modified version of Dungeons & Dragons 3.5e with the addition of Pathfinder classes and some Pathfinder rules. Players may use homebrew classes made for 3.5e or Pathfinder provided that the DM gives permission. The campaigns that comprise the Fall of the Ealdremen Galaxy can be chosen in any order. Which order they're done in will further influence the story as the events of those campaigns change the worlds and the people in them. The Fall of the Ealdremen Galaxy prioritizes story first. Some sessions may have no fighting at all and may consist largely of talking to NPCs, looking for information, or exploring areas depending on what is going on. As such, players are encouraged to keep this in mind when developing their character. There will be story-important fights that you may have to participate in, but make sure you develop your character's personality and non-combat skills, too, or you may find yourself with little to do during less action-packed sessions. What Pathfinder/house rules are in play? #0-level spells of every class are unlimited in casts per day. Characters whose class requires them to declare spells per day, though, still must do so, and cannot cast unprepared spells except as a class perk. #Players may use Pathfinder base/advanced classes or homebrew Pathfinder classes (with permission in the case of the latter). #Players may use Pathfinder-exclusive spells or feats in addition to those of 3.5e (although bear in mind some Pathfinder spells/feats are not entirely compatible with 3.5e rules and may need to be changed on a case-by-case basis). Homebrew feats, either 3.5e or Pathfinder, must be checked by the DM. #All skills cost only one skill point to increase in rank. If a skill is listed as a "class skill," you start with +3 in that skill as a miscellaneous modifier, but only if you have at least one rank in that skill. #Fly is a skill, but it is only accessible by particular races (alova, detlimse, doeron, iddun, rakko, and zorredo), and they may use either Strength or Dexterity for it, whichever of their stats is higher. The shape-shifter and suljakko races may also access Fly depending on their current shapeshift form, but they need not put ranks into it, as their Fly skills (as well as other skills) are determined by their current form, and it will always be a Dexterity skill for them. #Druids and similar classes cannot use Wild Shape or any similar spells, as this is a facet of certain races and allowing a druid not of those races to access shape-changing abilities would violate Chrono Stars' continuity. Instead, druids use the Aspect of Nature variant of the Wild Shape ability. #The Natural Spell feat (which permits spellcasting in Wild Shape forms) is not in the game because it's too easily abused and would only be usable by certain races. #Characters from religion-based classes do not have to have an alignment compatible with their deity's, though players should still take care to choose a deity or faith that makes sense for their character. Classes are also not restricted by character alignment so long as the situation is considered reasonable or justified in-character. #"Knowledge: Arcana" is called "Knowledge: Chrono" and can also be used to identify Chrono-related components of technology in addition to its usual effects. #"Knowledge: Nobility" can be also used to know of political going-ons in the galaxy in addition to its usual effects. #"Knowledge: Machinery" is an available skill, and characters may choose machinery-related Profession or Craft skills. #Classes utilize their Pathfinder incarnations and may have changes to fit with the lore of the setting. This should not, for the most part, affect gameplay, and it mostly consists of just name changes or addressing balancing concerns in Pathfinder/3.5e. #Feats are gained at every other level (as it is under Pathfinder rules). Everything else is expected to adhere to classic 3.5e rules. Dreams of Arplakoon : Main article: Arplakoon's Dreams Arplakoon is a god of time in the Chrono Stars universe. He dreams of numerous timelines and possibilities, witnessing futures that many mortals will never even know exist. Because of this, different playthroughs of The Fall of the Ealdremen Galaxy are referred to as one of "Arplakoon's dreams" and appended with a number to indicate which dream it is, such as "Arplakoon's second dream" or "the third dream of Arplakoon". The DM will tell you which dream your group is so that you'll know what on the wiki refers to your group and not another group. Campaign Order Choosing which campaign to do next can be daunting. As such, listed here are some possible orders that players may want to consider if they're unsure of what plot to do next. Each of the campaigns' links also make mention of where in a campaign order that campaign is best suited. First Dream Order: : This order features Nicta and Drio as an introductory experience, designed to "ease" players into the world by presenting smaller-scale conflicts at first and also systematically introducing the players to the major factions in play. The overarching plot is introduced slowly and comes into play later once the players are more accustomed to the world. It resolves the main factions' storylines earlier on and uses them to set up the main conflict of the story. #Nicta: The Corruption Deepens #Drio: The Lost Promise #Sabaria: The Monster Within #Lyzots: The Piper's Call #Olaka: The Longest Journey #Tumoria: The Emerald Meteors #Dralvarus: The Unbound Chains #Kes Joshawk: The Emperor Returns #Streeg: The Final Eclipse #Sigzlor: The Giant's Shadow #Beyne: The Vengeful God #Alti Maru: The Last Stand #Mioura: The Forgotten Past #Kyrol: The Hidden Truth Second Dream Order: : This is the order that the second dream of Arplakoon group played in. Though more or less randomly chosen based on what plot sounded the most interesting, it very quickly introduces the main conflicts of the story and focuses heavily on the overarching plot. However, this order is quite Alamo Empire-heavy, and the Veriol Alliance got comparatively little "on-screen time" until later in the story as a result. Due to how they played, the Gerualdi Union did not feature as heavily in the story as they otherwise may have. #Mioura: The Forgotten Past #Nicta: The Corruption Deepens #Sabaria: The Monster Within #Dralvarus: The Unbound Chains #Kes Joshawk: The Emperor Returns #Tumoria: The Emerald Meteors #Olaka: The Longest Journey #Streeg: The Final Eclipse #Lyzots: The Piper's Call #Alti Maru: The Last Stand #Drio: The Lost Promise #Sigzlor: The Giant's Shadow #Beyne: The Vengeful God #Kyrol: The Hidden Truth Veriol Alliance Order: : This order is recommended if the majority of the players is connected to the Veriol Alliance, as it will take them through the Veriol Alliance campaigns first and set up the remaining campaigns based on the events of the first ones. #Tumoria: The Emerald Meteors #Olaka: The Longest Journey #Sabaria: The Monster Within #Kes Joshawk: The Emperor Returns #Alti Maru: The Last Stand #Mioura: The Forgotten Past #Lyzots: The Piper's Call #Nicta: The Corruption Deepens #Drio: The Lost Promise #Dralvarus: The Unbound Chains #Beyne: The Vengeful God #Sigzlor: The Giant's Shadow #Streeg: The Final Eclipse #Kyrol: The Hidden Truth Alamo Empire Order: : This order is recommended if the majority of the players is connected to the Alamo Empire, as it will take them through the Alamo Empire campaigns first and set up the remaining campaigns based on the events of the first ones. #Kes Joshawk: The Emperor Returns #Sabaria: The Monster Within #Dralvarus: The Unbound Chains #Drio: The Lost Promise #Nicta: The Corruption Deepens #Mioura: The Forgotten Past #Alti Maru: The Last Stand #Lyzots: The Piper's Call #Sigzlor: The Giant's Shadow #Olaka: The Longest Journey #Tumoria: The Emerald Meteors #Streeg: The Final Eclipse #Beyne: The Vengeful God #Kyrol: The Hidden Truth Gerualdi Union Order: : This order is recommended if the majority of the players is connected to the Gerualdi Union, as it will take them through the Gerualdi Union campaigns first and set up the remaining campaigns based on the events of the first ones. #Drio: The Lost Promise #Nicta: The Corruption Deepens #Lyzots: The Piper's Call #Olaka: The Longest Journey #Kes Joshawk: The Emperor Returns #Mioura: The Forgotten Past #Alti Maru: The Last Stand #Tumoria: The Emerald Meteors #Streeg: The Final Eclipse #Sabaria: The Monster Within #Dralvarus: The Unbound Chains #Beyne: The Vengeful God #Sigzlor: The Giant's Shadow #Kyrol: The Hidden Truth "Nazdrovie" Order: : An additional possible campaign order for players that despise or are otherwise against all three of the factions. #Sabaria: The Monster Within #Alti Maru: The Last Stand #Sigzlor: The Giant's Shadow #Kes Joshawk: The Emperor Returns #Nicta: The Corruption Deepens #Drio: The Lost Promise #Lyzots: The Piper's Call #Dralvarus: The Unbound Chains #Olaka: The Longest Journey #Tumoria: The Emerald Meteors #Streeg: The Final Eclipse #Beyne: The Vengeful God #Mioura: The Forgotten Past #Kyrol: The Hidden Truth Category:Campaigns Category:No Spoilers